Western Hill ‘eyesore’ to become gateway

There will be gateway features in the city’s west end, at a property that one city councillor described as an “eyesore” a year ago.

One year after requesting information on a piece of property in Western Hill that had been planned for a parkette, but has sat untouched for 15-20 years, Coun. Joe Kushner is getting what he wanted. The strip of land, near Gale’s Gas Bar across from Tim Hortons on St. Paul Street, will be developed to include landscaping and gateway features.

Currently the property is a stone area, and Kushner pointed out last November that the “unsightly” corner was being used as temporary parking for over-sized vehicles that had difficulty accessing the coffee shop’s parking lot.

The property, which has been designated as a site of an arrival gateway in the Western Hill revitalization study, will now be transformed through an $80,000 project that will be cost shared by the city and the Region of Niagara. The funds are expected to be included in the city’s 2013 operating budget, with construction projected to take place next summer.

The preliminary design features an illuminated welcome sign, plantings and decorative stone that would be positioned in the area between the existing sidewalk and the curb to maximize visibility and aesthetics while maintaining the orderly function of the transit bus stop and the entrance to the adjacent gas station.

“Can we do something with a nautical theme,” Kushner asked city staff during a Nov. 12 council meeting. He said the theme would fit with the work that will be happening to replace the Burgoyne Bridge.